After 23 years of saving lives as a Paramedic EMT with the DC Fire Department, and then getting seriously injured on the job, Deborah Harris just wants to have a quiet retirement. After her injury and surgery, Ms. Harris got behind on her mortgage, and JP Morgan Chase bank moved quickly to foreclosure, auctioning her home to Freddie Mac in Dec. ’09.

In 2011, Deborah stood her ground and fought back but Chase continued to ignore her so Freddie Mac went on requesting that the court evict her.

On June 4th at 12pm, Deborah, Occupy Our Homes DC and other supporters of Deborah Harris will rally at Freddie Mac to demand that they desist in their eviction efforts and for JP Morgan Chase to give Deborah a loan modification that will allow her to stay in her home. We will not accept these two institutions blaming the other one and letting Ms. Harris take the consequences. BANKS DON’T NEED HOUSES, PEOPLE DO

In this interview Schama mostly gets it right. He is certainly correct that too many Americans still hold out some hope that Obama is going to do something about our problems (Indeed, Schama was one of the Europeans who ate the Hopium back in 2008). People still don’t get that Obama is the leader of the American kleptocracy.

I think Schama under estimates the power of the Occupy movement. He is looking too much at the Presidential election, which will change nothing, and not enough at the growing unrest. Imagine if someone tried to understand French politics during the 1780’s and only paid attention to the debates among Louis XVI’s councilors and paid no attention to Paris salons. I suspect that the years 2012-2016 will be very similar, a continuing implosion of the kleptocracy and the rise of whatever replaces it. That is why it is so crucial that we keep this non-violent.

Note – I am fascinated that, like the Corrente community, Schama gets the similarity with the ancien regime

In a letter to the National Park Service first reported by the Washington Post, Gray points to problems with rats, communicable disease, hypothermia and food borne illness.

If Mayor Gray had even a passing concern about vermin he would do something about the Ft Chaplin apartments where vermin and mold run riot. As he does not enforce code on Ft Chaplin or any other run down apartment complex, he clearly has no concern.

This is just a ruse to shut down the demonstration. But it is a first amendment issue. The protestors are raising serious issues and are peaceful. Mayor Gray needs to respect their first amendment rights.

And they can’t move to Freedom Plaza, the demonstration at Freedom Plaza was organized by a different group and the two groups do not especially agree.

Mayor Gray needs to do the right thing, let the demonstrations run their course. And yes, they could be here at the time of the 2013 inauguration. These are the times in which we live. Gray needs to accept that.

The District of Columbia requires real estate developers to dedicate 8% of new housing units to be below Fair Market Rate (FMR). EastBanc Inc., a multinational development company, is asking the DC Zoning Commission to waive this rule. “EastBanc is one of the most powerful developers in this city, and I am sickened that they are now demanding to be exempt from existing laws meant to protect many Washingtonians,” said DC native and occupier Pete Perry.

Occupy D.C., a group with many DC and DC Metro area residents, does not support the arbitrary suspension of existing zoning rules in the interest of multinational corporations.